Gulf Coast Great American Cleanup™ kickoff unites helping hands of community servants

Long Beach, Miss. – USA Freedom Corps (USAFC) Director Henry Lozano today joined Keep America Beautiful president and CEO Matthew McKenna and Long Beach Mayor William Skellie, Jr., for the Gulf Coast kickoff of the 2008 Great American Cleanup™ campaign, encouraging Americans to engage in volunteer service to improve their communities. This year’s campaign, for which President and Mrs. Bush serve as honorary chairs, aims to rally the helping hands of neighbors throughout the nation in local clean-up, beautification and stewardship projects. Director Lozano underscored the important role of America’s volunteers who are answering the President’s call to service and helping preserve the nation’s environmental beauty.

“Volunteers throughout the Gulf Coast and across America are creating lasting impacts through their acts of service, making our communities better places to live. Whether cleaning littered parks or planting new trees, the service of volunteers is improving our neighborhoods and our nation,” Director Lozano said.

Following today’s Great American Cleanup™ Gulf Coast kickoff event and a ceremonial tree planting, Director Lozano rolled up his sleeves alongside volunteers from Keep Mississippi Beautiful/PAL, Keep Harrison County Beautiful and other service organizations to help with cleanup projects throughout the Long Beach area.

“Through this hands-on initiative, we hope to motivate and inspire Gulf Coast residents and all Americans to improve their quality-of-life by beautifying their local environment and participating in the Great American Cleanup’s campaign for a cleaner, greener America,” said Matthew McKenna, president & CEO of Keep America Beautiful.

Also while in Long Beach, Director Lozano issued a lifetime President’s Volunteer Service Award to Roberto Avila, of the Mississippi Coast Interfaith Disaster Task Force; Lee Ann Kendrick of the Gulf Coast Conservation Corps; and Ricky Mathews of the Biloxi Sun Herald, for their commitments to bettering their communities. The lifetime award recognizes outstanding volunteers who have contributed over 4,000 hours of service. Additionally, Director Lozano recognized the Chevron Pascagoula Refinery and Grand Biloxi Casino, Hotel & Spa with President’s Volunteer Service Awards for promoting and encouraging volunteer service among their employees.

Director Lozano also visited local project sites where AmeriCorps and CitizenCorps volunteers are offering their time and talents to serve the needs of the community. He highlighted the service of the thousands of Americans who have engaged in volunteer activities throughout the Gulf Coast since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita – and applauded the ongoing work of many volunteers who continue efforts to rebuild the region. According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, 490,000 Mississippi volunteers dedicated over 55 million hours of service in 2006 alone and had the nation’s second-highest rate of volunteering with a religious organization.

In 2002, President Bush issued a national call to service and created USAFC to help all Americans serve causes greater than self. As a signature White House initiative, USAFC works to foster a culture of service, citizenship and responsibility, and connect Americans with opportunities serve their country, their community and their neighbors. Since President Bush launched the initiative, volunteering is at historically high levels and last year alone, more than 60 million volunteers across America helped sustain social services and aid others in need, both at home and abroad.

Additionally, USAFC plays an important role in coordinating skilled volunteers following disasters like Hurricane Katrina. In partnership with public, private and nonprofit sector entities, USAFC helped strengthen the National Response Framework to ensure coordinated efforts and more effective utilization of volunteers following domestic disasters.

Keep America Beautiful, Inc., established in 1953, is the nation’s largest volunteer-based community action and education organization. This national nonprofit forms public-private partnerships and programs that engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community environments. The Great American Cleanup is one of its many programs that encourage people to care for communities through volunteer participation.

For more information on the President’s call to service and USA Freedom Corps, visit: http://www.volunteer.gov.

For more information on Keep America Beautiful and the 2008 Great American Cleanup™ campaign, visit: http://www.kab.org.

###